Tough new speeding fines aim to clamp down on dangerous drivers

Drivers who are caught breaking the speed limit excessively will face harsher penalties in England and Wales from today.

Previously, drivers caught speeding faced a fine of up to 100% their weekly income, but the new guidelines stipulate that drivers can now be fined 175% of their weekly wage.

A cap of £1,000 remains (increasing to £2,500 if the offence takes place on a motorway), as does the minimum fine of £100 and three points.

The Sentencing Council said that the previous guidelines did not take into account the increase in potential harm and danger to the public as a driver’s speed increases. The changes have been broadly welcomed by motoring groups.

The new guidelines

A three-band system will determine the severity of the speeding offence, with higher speeds resulting in harder punishments:

We recently wrote about the alarming number of UK road fatalities. For example, almost 2,000 people are killed on UK roads every year, with over 25,000 either killed or seriously injured. While we’re not attributing these shocking statistics to speeding offences, we hope that the new guidelines can help make the roads safer for everyone.